The government confirmed today what Southern California consumers already knew: inflation is on the rise especially anything food- or energy-related.

Consumer prices in February in the Orange County-Los Angeles-Riverside area jumped 2.3% in the last 12 months, the highest year-over-year increase since October 2008, reports the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the month, prices were up 0.5% in February on the heels of a 0.9% rise in January.

Nationwide, the CPI rose 2.1% in the last year and was up 0.5% for the month.

Wednesday’s Producer Price Index predicted consumers were in for a tough time, with food producer prices jumping 3.9% in February, the biggest monthly increase in 37 years. Energy was close behind with prices surging 3.3% on February’s Producer Price Index.

The CPI shows those producer costs are being passed on to consumers. Southern Californians paid 3.1% more for food and beverages in February than a year ago. Prices roses 0.4% for the month, the third increase in as many months.

Transportation costs also were on the rise, up 6.3% over the past 12 months, the highest annualized increase since last May.

Motorists paid at the pump, with prices for unleaded regular gasoline up 17.7% over February 2010.

Gasoline prices have continued to increase over the last few weeks. Unleaded regular gasoline cost $3.955 a gallon today, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. That was unchanged from Wednesday but up 92 cents a gallon from a year ago.

Southern California consumers found no refuge by staying home. Household fuels and utilities — gas, electricity and water — were up 4.7% year-over-year, the fourth monthly increase in a row.

If consumers did venture out, they got a break in recreation. The cost of recreation fell 0.8% in the last year

Here’s how consumer prices changed in other sectors over the last year :

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.